Apex Flight Academy yesterday announced that it is branching out into the general aviation service market, adding that its airline is scheduled to begin operations next year after completing the required certification review.
The nation’s first and only flight training school in March secured the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s (CAA) approval to establish an office in preparation for the launch of Apex Aviation, a new airline offering domestic flights.
Since March, the company has been undergoing a five-stage certification review as per the Regulations of Civil Air Transport Enterprise (民用航空運輸業管理規則), it said.
Photo courtesy of Hualien County Government
The company’s first aircraft, a Tecnam P2012 Traveller, also landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday.
“With the arrival of our first aircraft, we are about to enter stage four of the review. We expect to complete the review by the beginning of next year and start the business afterward,” Apex said.
The twin-engine utility aircraft, which is designed and manufactured by Italian firm Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam, passed safety certifications by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the EU Aviation Safety Agency, the company said.
The cost of building a Tecnam P2012 Traveller is more than NT$110 million (US$3.96 million), it said, adding that Apex Aviation is the first Asian buyer of the aircraft.
The aircraft would initially be used to offer air tours of the East-Rift Valley spanning Hualien to Taitung counties, the coastline along the East Coast, and Green Island and Orchid Island, the company said.
“We hope that the air tours we provide will not only help boost the growth of the local tourism industry, but help market the scenic attractions to the world and draw more tourists from overseas,” Apex Flight Academy chairman Wilson Kao (高健祐) said.
In other news, the CAA recorded 13 breaches of civil aviation regulations committed by drone operators and eight by paramotor users from January to last month.
Of the 13 cases involving drones, four did not file applications in advance and were fined NT$1.64 million in total, CAA Deputy Director-General Clark Lin (林俊良) said.
Drone operators in the other nine cases were granted permission to fly their craft, but were fined for various reasons, from failing to follow the preapproved flight plans to flying drones without notifying air traffic controllers and airport terminals ahead of time, Lin said.
Of the eight cases involving paramotors, one is being handled by the Ministry of National Defense for trespassing in a military zone in September and breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), he said.
In the middle of last month, a policeman was found to have illegally paraglided around a high-voltage tower in Taichung, Lin added.
People contravening the drone regulations can be fined between NT$10,000 and NT$1.5 million, while illegal paragliders can be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000, Lin said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS